Thread: Can't get a slurry with my Belgian Coticule

You can soak them all you want, but I personally just give mine a rinse in the sink and go. For a proper slurry and to keep your stone flat, you need a diamond plate like a DMT8C. That's a 8" DMT diamond plate that is Coarse (325 grit). I really wish you newer guys would learn to hone on a synthetic stone before you jump into naturals, we can give you proper advice on a synthetic...a natural can be a LOT different as it's hit and miss with them due to every stone having it's own personality.

I had the same problem in the beginning with my first coticule. The answer was deceptively simple: try to not have the slurry stone completely flat on the hone. That or you can cut some shallow grooves (in the slurry stone). An uneven slurry stone surface works much better than a flattened one. Really, a DMT is not a bare necessity (although it works as well).

And coticules really don't need that much flattening, unless you keep raising really heavy slurry often.

For starters, I'd advise you to try this: http://coticule.be/unicot.html. It's not 100% fool proof, but it's a pretty good way to get a decent shaving edge relatively soon.

A low grit synthetic (1,000 grit) is advisable for establishing a bevel a bit faster.

Yes, coticules differ amongst each other, but some generalisations can certainly be made. It has less to do with counting strokes and much more with recognising different stages in sharpening. Which admittedly is tricky, I know, I really do. Which is why unicot was developed. It has worked for many, not in the least people just starting out.

Naturals aren't rocket science either, they just demand time and dedication. And good advice, of course. So if someone decides to start on naturals, I would hope they would get constructive help instead of being berated for choosing 'the wrong way'.

You can soak a coticule for 100 years and it won't make a bit of difference. It's not a porous rock. I don't think I'd use a coticule for heavy work. It's a finisher.

As you can read for yourself, there is a bit of contention over which is the "Best" way to start honing..

What I can tell you is not in doubt by anyone is that the bevel needs to be solid and well set, there is also no doubt that a Synthetic 1k (aprox) is the most effective way to do that.. What many new guys fail to realize is just how sharp a bevel set actually is, read this thread to get an idea

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-1k-shave.html

Keep in mind these are not Pro honers doing the 1k shave in the thread, just regular guys..

The other thing to keep in mind is what is the easiest way to succeed in attaining a shave ready edge, you might notice that the people that take their own time out of their day to help at the Meets and even invite people into their home to sit down and learn, inevitably near every time I have read about it use a synthetic progression to teach with..
Starting with a Coticule that you can't successfully create slurry with, tells me that you are going to have a long steep climb to get a shave ready edge..
My advice is to invest a small amount of money into a 1k and learn to set the bevel just like in the thread I linked you then and only then begin the journey of refining that edge...

Also keep in mind Coticules are all not the same, I would feel sorry for somebody trying to do any form of "Cot" on my Select grade finisher, in fact I just might let somebody try it at the next meet just to Vid the frustration that will come of it, especially a newb that has no clue how to use different Slurry stones on different Coticules to get the desired results...

+1 on the 1k shave, its the root of every good shave. even veteran coticule users will use a 1k stone to set the bevel then progress to finish on the coticule.

It might have something to do with the hardness of your stone. My coticule is fairly hard and barely releases any slurry no matter what. It's just the way it is.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

It might have something to do with the hardness of your stone. My coticule is fairly hard and barely releases any slurry no matter what. It's just the way it is.

... and if it is a very hard stone, that's a good thing, it might be a very fine finisher.

Other than that I can only agree with the "synthetic way" would get you going faster.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You can soak a coticule for 100 years and it won't make a bit of difference. It's not a porous rock. I don't think I'd use a coticule for heavy work. It's a finisher.

Agreed.. if it's a natural combo. Soaking a Coti glued to a backer leaves you vulnerable to the two stones separating.